The old beast had a hemorrhoid when mowing some clover by the lawn. Mowing with the deck a little off the ground, and it must be that a bump of the deck pushed the pin holding the connecting rod into fatal fracture mode.
The cast cover (that the seat is attached to) has been removed, and while doing so the connecting rod fell into the transmission. It took a couple of hours fishing it out, because I didn't have REALLY strong magnets, just the kind that pick up nuts, not connecting rods. Nevertheless, the connecting rod did get out of the drink, and some parts and pieces of a roll pin. Here's where the mystery story begins.
It looks like repeated use just caused the roll pin which holds the connecting rod to the "ram" arm (on the same cross shaft as the lift arms) to fail. The fragments didn't tell any story other than cracks and disintegration. Seals, seals, seals, and I have a replacement seal for the piston, and will probably need to pick up the seals for the cylinder head. But what REALLY has me perplexed is that there are two roll pins which are shown on the parts diagram for the arm (yep, the ram arm that used to cost $700+ and is now just "obsolete" unobtainium). One is an 8mm x 45mm "lock pin" but could be called a roll pin. One of the nearby parts places actually has that, one was needed, so it was picked one up. Big cost: $0.99. There is a second, SBA030300545, which is called a "coiled pin" and what the parts guy produced was about 2.5mm diameter and about 13mm long. Not like anything in the parts diagram, and we are all scratching our heads. Can't find anyplace for this critter. The factory service manual was no help.
So two theories are floated: first that the parts diagram is just plain wrong. While it could be comforting, the consensus is that the parts diagram is right, or it would have been revised 30 years ago. The second theory is that we are blind, and lack the insight and creativity to use this micro roll pin properly. Perhaps there is a third theory, and that is that the parts place has the wrong part, and to validate that, they will order a new one of the SBA0303300545.
There could be more theories. Offer yours.
The 8mm roll pin in hand is a 14607320; yep that is the $0.99 one. May one always be so lucky.
Anyone with experience in this repair, who remembers how things fit together, and what they needed for pins?
As always, thanks everyone.
The cast cover (that the seat is attached to) has been removed, and while doing so the connecting rod fell into the transmission. It took a couple of hours fishing it out, because I didn't have REALLY strong magnets, just the kind that pick up nuts, not connecting rods. Nevertheless, the connecting rod did get out of the drink, and some parts and pieces of a roll pin. Here's where the mystery story begins.
It looks like repeated use just caused the roll pin which holds the connecting rod to the "ram" arm (on the same cross shaft as the lift arms) to fail. The fragments didn't tell any story other than cracks and disintegration. Seals, seals, seals, and I have a replacement seal for the piston, and will probably need to pick up the seals for the cylinder head. But what REALLY has me perplexed is that there are two roll pins which are shown on the parts diagram for the arm (yep, the ram arm that used to cost $700+ and is now just "obsolete" unobtainium). One is an 8mm x 45mm "lock pin" but could be called a roll pin. One of the nearby parts places actually has that, one was needed, so it was picked one up. Big cost: $0.99. There is a second, SBA030300545, which is called a "coiled pin" and what the parts guy produced was about 2.5mm diameter and about 13mm long. Not like anything in the parts diagram, and we are all scratching our heads. Can't find anyplace for this critter. The factory service manual was no help.
So two theories are floated: first that the parts diagram is just plain wrong. While it could be comforting, the consensus is that the parts diagram is right, or it would have been revised 30 years ago. The second theory is that we are blind, and lack the insight and creativity to use this micro roll pin properly. Perhaps there is a third theory, and that is that the parts place has the wrong part, and to validate that, they will order a new one of the SBA0303300545.
There could be more theories. Offer yours.
The 8mm roll pin in hand is a 14607320; yep that is the $0.99 one. May one always be so lucky.
Anyone with experience in this repair, who remembers how things fit together, and what they needed for pins?
As always, thanks everyone.
